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In the latest episode of The Leadership in Insurance podcast, host Alex Bond sits down with Rob Lewis, CEO of INTX Insurance Software, to discuss why the insurance industry's fragmented software landscape is holding back its AI potential - and what it takes to fix it.

Rob's journey from launching an online stockbroker in South Africa to acquiring an insurance carrier in Mozambique led him to build INTX: an integrated software solution designed to cover the entire policy lifecycle.

Now, he's bringing that vision to the US market, where 55% of insurance professionals still rely on Excel as their primary system.

Key highlights from the conversation:

• Why insurance is "perfectly suited to AI" but "least prepared for it"—and how legacy systems are the bottleneck
• The case for incremental gains over revolution: how a 5% improvement in core ratios can transform carrier economics
• US vs. London market dynamics: the tension between data-driven underwriting and the irreplaceable value of underwriter intuition
• The Excel problem: why half the US insurance industry still operates on spreadsheets, and what it takes to transition them to modern platforms
• INTX's US expansion: from 5 clients signed in 2025 to an ambitious goal of 25 by the end of 2026, including a Tier 1 carrier

Rob makes a compelling case that the industry doesn't need revolutionary products—it needs solid operational foundations that can unlock the next wave of innovation.

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In the latest episode of the Leadership in Insurance Podcast, host Alex Bond sits down with Max Bruner, CEO of Anzen Insurance, to explore how the company has evolved since its 2021 founding into a tech-enabled wholesale broker using AI to transform insurance distribution.

Episode Highlights:

• From Hype to Reality - Max discusses how the industry has moved past chatbot buzz to focus on enterprise AI applications that genuinely enhance vertical software capabilities
• Workflow Revolution - Anzen's AI-powered software is delivering significant time savings and improved resource utilization across the entire insurance process - from submit to renew
• Bridge Building - Max emphasizes the importance of connecting technologists with insurance experts to create solutions that actually work
• $16M Funding Round - Max shares insights from Anzen's October raise, discussing the challenges of executing during a period when the market was less receptive to AI in insurance compared to other sectors
• Software Success - The company is now selling its licensed software to agency partners and the broader industry, developed by their 'small but mighty' engineering team
• CEO-Level Priority - Technology adoption is no longer just operational; it's fundamental to competitiveness, talent attraction, and customer service delivery
• 2026 Vision - Optimistic growth plans ahead, particularly around partnerships in the financial infrastructure space

Max's journey from direct broker to wholesale broker, while developing licensed software that's now being sold to agency partners, demonstrates what's possible when innovation meets deep industry expertise.

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We're thrilled to launch the new year with an incredible episode of the Leadership in Insurance Podcast featuring host Alex Bond in conversation with Tiago Prado, founder of BRZ Insurance (acquired by Troop Gordier in 2025) and current CEO of Altoia.

From High School Dropout to Insurance Innovator

Tiago's journey is nothing short of remarkable.

From accidentally landing in insurance to building and successfully exiting BRZ Insurance, his story is packed with valuable lessons about persistence, strategic thinking, and understanding what truly drives business growth.

What You'll Discover in This Episode:

Building for Exit - How Tiago transformed his approach from running an agency to creating a sellable business with recurring revenue

The Infrastructure Gap - Why recruiting, training, retention, and financial management remain the biggest challenges for P&C insurance agencies

The Birth of Altoia - How growing BRZ by 500% during COVID revealed systemic inefficiencies that inspired his next venture

AI's Real Impact - Tiago's perspective on how artificial intelligence is reshaping success in insurance: "Your role won't be replaced with AI; it will be enhanced by it"

2026 Vision - His ambitious plans to provide clarity, capital, and control to insurance agencies through better financial infrastructure

The Bottom Line

Tiago believes that accurate financial data and KPIs aren't just nice-to-haves—they're essential for accessing growth capital and making informed decisions. His work with Altoia aims to solve the problems that banks and traditional systems have failed to address in underwriting insurance agencies.

Ready to start the year with fresh insights? This episode is essential listening for agency owners, insurance leaders, and anyone looking to understand where the industry is headed.

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The latest episode of the Leadership Insurance Podcast features Matt Connolly, founder and CEO of Sonr, making his third appearance on the show as part of host Alex Bond's end-of-year review series.

Key takeaways from this episode:

🔄 Innovation is Decentralizing

Matt talks about seeing a fundamental shift across Sonr's global carrier clients, moving from central innovation teams to operational functions like claims owning their transformation.

📈 2025: The Comeback Year

After some tough years, capital is flowing back into InsurTech, IPOs are re-emerging, and the market is maturing with a more pragmatic approach to tech adoption.

Sonr’s Record growth in 2025

Matt thinks it’s down to market appetite for understanding the tech and innovation landscape.

🎯 Horizon One Focus

Matt’s take on 2025 as being mostly about "horizon one": applying technology to level up core business operations

AI innovation

AI is enabling previously unprofitable micro-insurance and niche products to become commercially viable and changing what's possible.

🌍 Global Learning Matters

From micro-insurance in Africa to climate resilience solutions, there's incredible value in looking beyond domestic borders and industries for innovation insights.

🚀 Looking Ahead to 2026

As Sonr approaches its 10-year anniversary, it’s refreshing to hear Matt share his honest reflections on building in insurance, describing Sonr as a "10-year overnight success" that's been "like pushing water up a hill" - a reality many founders will recognize.

Also, exciting to hear Matt talk about Sonr’s version 2.0 launch in January - an AI-powered platform democratizing market intelligence across the insurance ecosystem.

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In the latest episode of the Leadership in Insurance podcast, host Alex Bond sat down with Joe Zuk, Operating Partner at Altamont Capital Partners, for an insightful year-in-review discussion that captures the key moments in 2025.

Key themes explored:

Market Transitions and 2025 Dynamics

The conversation examines 2025 as a transitional year marked by shifts from hard to soft market conditions, the impact of the California wildfires, degradation in pricing following quiet catastrophe years, and a slowdown in private equity multiples.

Technology Reshaping Business Models

Joe and Alex explore how AI and technology are enabling lean, efficient operations: from small teams managing large businesses to the emergence of one-person MGA models and modular, bespoke insurance solutions.

The discussion highlights technology not as human versus machine, but as a tool allowing individuals and businesses to accomplish more.

The Relationship vs. Automation Debate

A thought-provoking examination of whether the future lies in self-service models or premium, high-touch experiences, and how the industry can maintain personalization and interpersonal connections as automation increases.

Innovation and Regulatory Evolution

The episode also explores opportunities for micro-insurance products, and the critical need for regulatory adaptation to support entrepreneurial innovation in the sector.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Joe predicts a year of micro-cycles with pockets of hard and soft markets, increased Insurtech and FinTech involvement, and greater investment in technology for data capture and utilization—all while preserving the industry's core strength: human relationships.

Listen now for essential insights on navigating the rapidly evolving Insurance landscape.

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Don't miss this insightful conversation between Alex Bond and Bryan Falchuk on The Leadership in Insurance Podcast, for the second in our series reflecting on 2025. With 25 years of industry experience, Bryan shares his optimistic outlook on where insurance is headed.

Key Takeaways:

💰 Smarter Capital, Stronger Companies The shift from easy funding to disciplined investment is transforming the industry.

Bryan points out that tighter funding conditions now promote better business practices and long-term sustainability. The result? More resilient companies built for the long haul.

🤖 AI as Expertise Amplifier Bryan emphasises AI isn't just about efficiency: it's about elevating capabilities. AI's true potential lies in enhancing expertise in risk selection, pricing, and claims management.

He highlights innovative solutions like Cytora and Kyber, demonstrating that targeted tech implementations often outperform wholesale overhauls.

👥 The Human Element Remains Critical Despite technological advances, Bryan and Alex discuss that insurance remains fundamentally a high-touch business.

Their biggest concern? Ensuring the industry doesn't lose the next generation of skilled professionals as AI handles routine tasks. Investment in training and reskilling isn't optional - it's essential.

☁️ Strategic Infrastructure Matters Bryan emphasises that the move to cloud isn't just a technical decision- t's a strategic imperative that requires creative leadership and empowered teams to drive real change.

A crucial insight from Bryan: "When money is tighter, people learn discipline." This principle applies not just to funding, but to how the industry approaches every investment- in technology, people, and the future.

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New Episode Alert: Claims Tech Year in Review 🎙️

In this week’s episode of the Leadership and Insurance Podcast host Alex Bond caught up with Jonathon Valentine from I Love Claims with an end of year review before we head into 2026.

I Love Claims (ILC) is a community focused on claims professionals sharing best practices, bringing together claims tech companies to pitch their products to insurers.

In this wide-ranging conversation, they explore some of the biggest shifts happening in the claims space including:

📊 AI Breaking Through the Data Barrier Jonathon explains how new technologies like LLMs are finally making complex, unstructured claims data accessible after years of being difficult to manage with outdated systems.

🤝 The Tech-Insurance Integration Challenge History has shown that technology teams coming into the insurance space face "a hard market to crack if you're not insurance first." Successful ventures often blend insurance and tech expertise, with examples like Grace Hansen from Elysium demonstrating how claims professionals can build modern TPAs.

💡 Smart Strategies for Market Entry Jonathon shares how one TPA successfully navigated IT procurement by positioning itself as a TPA rather than a claims platform, allowing them to compete based on rates rather than integration time.

🚀 Automation That Actually Works The key is using tech to improve the customer journey rather than completely redesigning existing processes, with Tesco's car claims process cited as an example of effective automation.

⚠️ The OpenAI Dependency Question Alex and Jonathon express concerns about over-reliance on OpenAI and the potential for pricing changes to impact businesses that wrap their services around AI technology.

Looking Ahead to 2026 Jonathon announces exciting changes to the next I Love Claims tech event. For the first time, it will feature semi-finals online in April followed by a final hosted by Kennedys in London in June, giving a platform and exposure to a greater number of companies in the claims space.

Whether you're in claims, Insurtech, or just curious about where the industry is heading, this conversation offers valuable insights on navigating the intersection of technology and traditional insurance.

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